A Japanese navy submarine and a Hong Kong -registered commercial ship collided off Japan ’s southern coast on Monday, causing minor injuries to three crew members of the submarine and damage to its mast, defence officials said. The 84-metre (246-foot) long Soryu submarine was in the process of surfacing about 27 nautical miles (50km) south of Cape Ashizuri on Japan’s southwestern island of Shikoku when it scraped the hull of the commercial vessel, the Maritime Self-Defence Force (MSDF) said in a statement. There was slight damage to the submarine’s mast but it was able to continue sailing on its own, it said. OCEAN ARTEMIS pic.twitter.com/FwhVHfb0W6 — へきる提督（甲２１） (@hekiru417P) February 8, 2021 The navy did not identify the commercial ship, but NHK public television said it was the Hong Kong-registered bulk carrier Ocean Artemis. It was transporting 90,000 tonnes of iron to Okayama in western Japan after leaving the Chinese port of Qingdao last Friday with 21 Chinese crew members, it said. Chinese ships enter Japan waters for first time under new coastguard law Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi told reporters that the collision was “extremely regrettable”. He said the submarine temporarily lost communication signals due to the damage to its antenna mast. The commercial ship left the scene but later told Japanese coastguard officials that it sustained no damage and its crew did not even feel the impact, Kishi said. He said he had been instructed by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to confirm the safety of the commercial vessel and provide rescue assistance if necessary. However, the MSDF was unable to confirm details regarding the ship because it left the scene soon afterward. The Japan Coastguard said it will open an investigation as the incident could constitute endangering traffic due to negligence, while the Japan Transport Safety Board said it has launched its own probe. The Soryu is a diesel-electric submarine with a standard displacement of 2,950 tonnes and a crew of about 65. It entered service in 2009 as the first of its class. Additional reporting by Kyodo